Trial Date Set for Khalid Sheikh Mohammed in 9/11 Case

A U.S. military judge has scheduled a trial date for Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, the man accused of masterminding the September 11, 2001, attacks. The trial is set for June 5, 2028. This date will place Mohammed on trial nearly 27 years after the attacks that involved hijackers flying commercial aircraft into the World Trade Center in New York and the Pentagon, with a fourth plane crashing in Pennsylvania. Approximately 3,000 people lost their lives.

Air Force Lt. Col. Michael A. Schrama declined prosecutors’ suggested start date of January 11, 2027. Lt. Col. Schrama noted that outstanding pretrial litigation made the earlier date unsuitable. The judge emphasized the necessity of addressing evidentiary and compliance motions, which includes deciding if certain statements documented by the FBI should be suppressed.

Mohammed will face trial alongside Walid bin Attash, Ali Abdul Aziz Ali, and Mustafa al-Hawsawi. All four are accused of involvement in the plot and are currently detained at the U.S. naval base located at Guantánamo Bay, Cuba. Prosecutors claim Mohammed devised and directed the plan to seize passenger aircraft and crash them into significant U.S. landmarks. He was apprehended in Pakistan in March 2003 and moved to Guantánamo Bay in 2006.

The scheduling follows the breakdown of a plea deal which might have permitted Mohammed to confess and be sentenced to life imprisonment without parole, avoiding a trial that could result in the death penalty.

The court order outlines various deadlines leading up to jury selection on the trial date. This timeline hinges on all parties adhering to the set deadlines, indicating that further postponements are still conceivable.

This is an ongoing story and more information will be provided as it becomes available.